Airports: Gatwick and Heathrow

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether passport or identity checks are made at Heathrow and Gatwick airports when passengers with tickets and boarding passes go through security; and, if not, why not.

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport sets the screening requirements and the standards that must be applied to ensure that those entering airside areas of airports are not carrying or concealing a prohibited article.
	There is no current government requirement for passport or identity checks to be made when passengers go through airport security. To enter the airside of an airport, passengers must prove their intention to fly on a service from the UK. There is a variety of methods to achieve this and boarding cards are among those acceptable. Indeed airport operators have the legal right to refuse a passenger entry if, in their opinion, the presented documentation is invalid or inappropriate.
	A passenger's identity does not determine or have an impact on the screening process that they undergo at security. Rather, the focus is on the screening of all passengers and everything they carry into the critical part of the airport to ensure that no prohibited articles are introduced, regardless of who they are. However, airlines will check passenger identity at other stages in the airport process, for example, at check-in.

Anguilla

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any issues are negatively affecting the relationship of the United Kingdom with the Government of Anguilla; and, if so, what are those issues.

Baroness Warsi: The Chief Minister of Anguilla, Hubert Hughes, has been critical of the Government and the Governor, in particular over what he regards as historical injustices, but we continue to have a strong relationship with the Government of Anguilla. Anguilla is facing economic and fiscal challenges and the Government are working with the Government of Anguilla to help strengthen good governance, financial management and economic planning, in line with our strategy set out in the 2012 White Paper on the Overseas Territories.
	When the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), met Mr Hughes during a visit to Anguilla in October 2012, and at the joint ministerial council in December 2012, he reiterated the Government's desire to work in partnership with him and his government to increase economic growth and private investment in the territory. The Government will continue to look at ways to support Anguilla. We have, for example, recently agreed to provide significant funding to help create a vocational training centre at the community college in Anguilla.

Asset Transfer Unit

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the Asset Transfer Unit; what is its purpose and relationship to the Government; how it is funded; and on how many occasions in each year since its formation it has provided advice and support to schemes for the transfer of assets from the public sector to community bodies.

Baroness Hanham: From 2008 to 2012 the Government grant funded Locality to manage the Asset Transfer Unit to promote best practice across England and provide independent advice and expertise on matters relating to asset transfer to community ownership and management. The unit also managed the Advancing Assets for Communities demonstration programme (which completed in March 2011) which has supported the development of local asset transfer strategies, policies and procedures aimed at communities taking over local authority assets, by providing tailored support to 92 local authority/community partnerships. An independent evaluation in 2011 found that the unit supported 30 asset transfer projects each year. In total the grant funding amounted to £3,849,577.
	In April 2012 Locality was part of the consortium that won the contract to manage all three of the Community Rights support programmes, Community Ownership and Management of Assets, Right to Challenge and Right to Build. It has now established the My Community Rights service which also deals with community asset transfer queries.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the report by Maternity Action and the Refugee Council When Maternity Doesn't Matter: Dispersing Pregnant Women Seeking Asylum, they will review the UK Border Agency's policies on the treatment of pregnant women seeking asylum, and in particular those who have high-risk pregnancies because of serious health conditions having fled torture, sexual violence or female genital mutilation in their own countries.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will implement the recommendations for the UK Border Agency and the Department of Health made in the report by Maternity Action and the Refugee Council When Maternity Doesn't Matter: Dispersing Pregnant Women Seeking Asylum; and, if so, when.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The UK Border Agency's policies relating to pregnant asylum seekers were revised in August 2012, following widespread consultation. The report by the Refugee Council and Maternity Action drew conclusions from a limited sample of cases that were dealt with before those revised policies came into effect.
	The policies are none the less kept under continuous review and the recommendations of the report are being considered by the UK Border Agency and the Department of Health. Some of the recommendations are covered by work that is already ongoing.

Bangladesh

Lord Hussain: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights situation in Bangladesh, in the light of recent reports of fatal shootings of demonstrators by Bangladeshi police; and whether they have made representations to the Government of that country encouraging them to exercise restraint.

Baroness Warsi: The Government are very concerned about the ongoing violent protests in Bangladesh. We have called for restraint both publicly and privately with the Bangladesh Government. Our high commissioner in Dhaka, Robert Gibson, met with the Bangladesh Government, including the Foreign Minister, Dipu Moni, this week to raise our concerns. He also released a statement on 3 March expressing sadness over the violence and the deaths that have taken place across Bangladesh recently.
	All citizens have a right to hold their Government to account, including through legitimate and peaceful protests. But violence and vandalism have no place in legitimate protests. The economic and social cost of strikes and other forms of disruption is damaging to individuals, business, and the nation. As I said when I visited Bangladesh in February, I hope that parties can resolve their differences through dialogue and discussion and that citizens are able to freely raise their concerns or grievances through peaceful means, without fear of retaliation or attack.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what factors will determine the timing and method by which they will sell or distribute taxpayer-owned shares in Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Lord Deighton: UK Financial Investments (UKFI) continue to be responsible for managing the Government's investments in Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) on an arm's-length and commercial basis; and for developing and executing a strategy for disposing of the investments in an orderly and active way.
	As shareholder, UKFI has a clear mandate which is focussed on protecting and creating value for the taxpayer, paying due regard to financial stability and competition. It will continue to look at the full range of alternatives for disposing of the investments.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they or the Financial Services Authority will publish the criteria that will determine the limits to be set on pay for hedge fund and private equity managers under the European Union alternative investment fund management directive; and what is their assessment of the impact of those limits on those sectors of the United Kingdom economy.

Lord Deighton: This is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA), whose day-to-day operations are independent from government control and influence. This question has been passed on to the FSA, which will reply directly by letter. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the United Kingdom can opt out of those aspects of the European Union's capital requirements directive IV proposal relating to the payment of bonuses to bank executives; and, if so, whether they will be exercising that opt-out, or taking any other action in connection with those provisions.

Lord Deighton: European directives must be transposed into national legislation by EU member states. The capital requirements directive IV will apply to all EU member states and remains under discussion. The UK does not hold an opt out on the proposed capital requirements directive IV.

Benefits

The Lord Bishop of Ripon and Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for uprating the level of the benefit cap in future years to take account of changes in average take-home pay.

Lord Freud: Legislation requires that the level of the benefit cap should be determined by reference to the estimated net average earnings of working households in Great Britain. It also requires the Secretary of State to review its level each year to see if it remains set at an appropriate figure in relation to estimated average earnings. Following this annual review the Secretary of State can, if he considers it appropriate, increase or decrease the level or retain the existing figure.
	Any changes to the level of the cap have to be made the annual uprating order, so they will be announced following the Autumn Statement.

Burma

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the situation in Burma.

Baroness Warsi: We acknowledge the encouraging reforms in Burma over the past 18 months. In particular, the significant releases of political prisoners; credible by-elections; initial ceasefire agreements signed between the Government and 10 of 11 major armed groups; and steps towards increasing humanitarian access to conflict areas. UK policy has evolved in line with this progress. We are engaging with the government and all parties to support the reform process and Burma's transition to democracy.
	However, we also recognise that many challenges remain: several hundred political prisoners are still in jail; Kachin state remains the scene of armed conflict between the Government and armed ethnic groups and the most serious human rights violations; UN agencies continue to struggle to gain unhindered humanitarian access; and the Rohingya continue to be denied citizenship and basic rights.
	In order to help Burma address these challenges, we will continue to be a constructive, supportive and critical partner, committed to supporting reform moves under the President and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Burma

Lord Hollick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Burma regarding the democratic legitimacy of the constitution, given that the military have the ability to veto constitutional reform.

Baroness Warsi: The Government support constitutional reform in Burma and are working with key Burmese institutions involved in the reform process including the Burmese military. The recent appointment of a defence attaché to our embassy in Rangoon will provide an important channel for engagement with the Burmese military.
	During his visit to Burma in December 2012, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised with Burmese ministers the prospects for Burma's transition towards democracy and offered support as Burma seeks to reform its laws and processes. He repeated this offer of support to members of the Burmese parliament including Aung San Suu Kyi.

Burma

Lord Hollick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to the Government of Burma regarding reviewing and redrafting legislation; on which laws they have provided assistance; and with which Burmese government ministries they are working on each of these laws.

Baroness Warsi: UK assistance to Burma in relation to reviewing and drafting laws has been principally to Burma's Parliament and civil society, rather than directly to the Burmese Government. In December 2012, the UK hosted a visit by the Burmese Bills Committee to Parliament, and the UK has arranged visits of advisers to Burma who have discussed with Burmese Members of Parliament the foreign investment law and the central bank law.
	The UK, through the British Council, is also assisting the parliamentary committee in Burma to draft the new higher education law. In addition, again through the British Council, we have supported a civil society consultation process on forest and land laws.

Burma

Lord Hollick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the European Union has conducted an assessment of the benchmarks for suspending sanctions against Burma; and, if so, whether they will take steps to ensure that that assessment will be made public.

Baroness Warsi: On 23 April 2012, EU Foreign Ministers agreed to suspend all EU sanctions on Burma for one year, apart from the arms embargo and restrictions on the supply of equipment which could be used for international repression. This was in recognition of the significant progress made by the Burmese Government against the EU's benchmarks as set out in council conclusions of January 2012. This included the release of a significant number of political prisoners, the signing of ceasefires with ten of eleven major armed ethnic groups and the largely free and fair conduct of parliamentary by-elections on 1 April 2012.
	The EU Foreign Affairs Council will meet on 22 April. Foreign Ministers from EU member states will consider whether to lift, suspend or reimpose sanctions on Burma at this time. The decision will be guided by the Foreign Ministers' collective views on the Burmese Government's efforts to make further progress against them. If unanimity cannot be reached, sanctions will fall away in their entirety. The nature of these discussions will be reflected in EU Foreign Affairs council conclusions, which will be made public.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many deaths have been recorded due to carbon monoxide poisoning in the past year; and what steps they are taking to reduce the number of such deaths.

Lord Freud: There were 36 recorded deaths from accidental carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in England, Wales and Scotland in 2011 (the latest year available).
	The Government take gas safety and awareness of CO issues very seriously and provide information for the public on Government websites and in a number of publications. There is also a cross-government group on gas safety and CO awareness which helps to co-ordinate activity. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides a freephone Gas Safety Advice Line.
	HSE and Gas Safe Register advise consumers to always use a Gas Safe-registered engineer for all gas work in their home, and to ensure that any gas appliances are regularly serviced and maintained. Gas Safe Register also runs awareness raising promotions and media campaigns, including the annual gas safety week.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government require the installation of a CO alarm when a new or replacement solid fuel appliance is installed under the obligations set out in the building regulations.
	The Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency have promoted messages on the dangers of CO, to the general public and the medical community, as part of their public health work.
	The Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) price control review has resulted in licensed gas distribution network operators introducing proposals to raise awareness and reduce the risks of CO in their business plans from April 2013.

Chagos Islands

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Foreign Secretary's undertaking on 20 December 2012 to "be as positive as possible in our engagement with Chagossian groups", and the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights on 20 December 2012, whether they will make provision for the individual fishing rights of the Chagossians and of Mauritius in the British Indian Ocean Territory marine protected area.

Baroness Warsi: We have no plans to alter the "no-take" status of the British Indian Ocean Territory, marine protected area. This is, of course, subject to the outcome of current ongoing domestic litigation and international arbitral proceedings.

Chagos Islands

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the visa requirements for foreign nationals, other than members of the United States armed forces, wishing to enter the Chagos Islands.

Baroness Warsi: There is no visa regime controlling entry to British Indian Ocean Territory. Immigration rules are set out in the British Indian Ocean Territory (Immigration) Order 2004.

Child Poverty Act 2010

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to amend the Child Poverty Act 2010 following the results of the consultation on a new measure of child poverty.

Lord Freud: The Government have no plans to amend the Child Poverty Act. The recent consultation process is designed to enable us to find additional measures of child poverty that capture the full reality of poverty in the United Kingdom.

Child Poverty Act 2010

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to report on the child poverty measures contained in the Child Poverty Act 2010 following the results of the consultation on a new measure of child poverty.

Lord Freud: The Government have no plans to amend the Child Poverty Act, and will continue to publish the annual Households Below Average Income statistics that measure progress against the targets. The recent consultation process is designed to enable us to find additional measures of child poverty that capture the full reality of poverty in the United Kingdom.

Child Poverty Act 2010

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to the specific targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010.

Lord Freud: The Government remain committed to eradicating child poverty and to the Child Poverty Act. The recent consultation process is designed to enable us to find additional measures of child poverty that capture the full reality of poverty in the United Kingdom.

Civil Service: Staff

Lord Dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the annual turnover of civil servants in each of the past five years in (1) HM Treasury, (2) the Department for Transport, (3) the Department of Health, and (4) the civil service as a whole.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, Director General for ONS, to Lord Dobbs, dated March 2013.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking HM Government what was the annual turnover of Civil Servants in each of the last five years in (1) HM Treasury, (2) the Department for Transport, (3) the Department of Health and (4) the Civil Service as a whole. {HL5978}
	Civil Service employment figures are published annually by the Office for National Statistics, with a survey reference date of 31 March. The attached tables provide the data that you have requested for the last five years.
	
		
			 Civil Service entrants and leavers for Department of Health, HM Treasury, Department of Transport and Total Civil Service1 2 
			  2008 3  2009  2010  2011  2012  
			  Entrants Leavers Entrants Leavers Entrants Leavers Entrants Leavers Entrants Leavers 
			  Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total 
			 HM Treasury 
			 HM Treasury 110 150 250 140 280 110 80 130 0 120 
			 Asset Protection Agency 5 - - - - - - - - .. 10 
			 Office for Budget Responsibility 5 - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Health 
			 Department of Health (excl agencies) 170 210 40 150 90 180 60 180 30 350 
			 Food Standards Agency 5 40 60 70 80 30 60 40 260 - - 
			 Meat Hygiene Service 5 .. 150 20 260 10 130 - - - - 
			 Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency 110 70 120 60 120 30 20 70 60 100 
			 National Healthcare Purchasing and Supplies 5 20 20 40 20 10 80 - - - - 
			 NHS Business Services Authority (Civil Service only) 5 .. 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 - - 
			 Transport 
			 Department for Transport (excl agencies)4 100 110 140 .. 110 150 40 330 30 210 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 230 510 610 740 330 370 210 220 190 270 
			 Driving Standards Agency 190 70 190 180 120 160 50 150 140 160 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency 40 30 40 20 30 50 0 70 .. 40 
			 Highways Agency 380 340 320 280 420 150 70 270 10 160 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 90 110 130 170 120 100 40 120 60 80 
			 Office of Rail Regulation 30 10 20 30 30 40 10 30 10 30 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 30 10 20 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 190 190 310 140 70 250 10 210 30 110 
			 Total Civil Service 23,480 41,050 41,560 39,010 39,010 39,170 13,400 38,210 12,570 46,110 
		
	
	Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey
	1 Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10, and numbers less than five are represented by ".."
	2. Reference date for this survey is 31 March.
	3. Data for 2008 shows permanent employees only whereas 2009-12 shows all employees.
	4 Includes Government Office for the Regions employees for 2008-11.
	5.All organisations not in existence are represented by "-"

Developing Countries: Food

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to focusing their aid programmes on the transportation and storage of food in developing countries, and on waste minimisation along the supply chain.

Baroness Northover: The Department for International Development (DfID) supports several programmes for the transportation and storage of food in developing countries. For example, DfID supports work at the CGIAR international agricultural research system, on post-harvest storage to help African and South Asian farmers to protect their crops and incomes. DfID also supports the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund which backs innovative agri-business ideas along the whole agricultural value chain.
	Under the AgResults programme-launched by the PM and G20 leaders in June 2012-a pilot project works with farmers in Kenya to improve crop storage.

Diego Garcia

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government how often they used or permitted the use of Diego Garcia for rendition flights in 2012, if at all.

Baroness Warsi: The UK did not use, nor did it permit the use of, Diego Garcia for rendition flights in 2012.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to consolidating the Driver and Vehicle Agency at its office in Coleraine, rather than in Swansea.

Earl Attlee: Consolidation of the delivery of vehicle services at the Driver and Vehicle Agency in Coleraine has been examined, along with other options for the future delivery of vehicle registration and licensing services in Northern Ireland. This has been considered as part of the analysis of the optimum delivery of enhanced vehicle services to motorists in Northern Ireland. No final decisions have yet been made.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local residents about the possible closure of the Driver and Vehicle Agency office in Coleraine.

Earl Attlee: No discussions have been held with local residents in Coleraine. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency officials have worked closely with their counterparts in Northern Ireland to analyse options for delivering enhanced vehicle services to Northern Ireland motorists. No final decisions have yet been made.

Economy

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to restore the AAA credit rating for the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: The UK credit rating is an important benchmark for any country, but it is not the only benchmark. Returning the UK to sustainable, balanced economic growth is the Government's overriding priority. The actions taken to reduce the deficit and rebuild the economy have secured stability, with interest rates near historic lows, benefiting families, businesses and the tax payer.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 11 February (WA 100), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has ever been able to define the term "pronucleus"; if so, when the HFEA clarified whether pronuclei are themselves nuclei of a particular kind or not, and what was the source of that definition; and if not, how the HFEA advises on public policy on the matter in the absence of a definition.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it has defined the term "pronuclei" in its recent work on mitochondria replacement. A technical definition can be found in the glossary of the Scientific Report on the authority's website at: www.hfea.gov.uk by searching "mitochondria review final report".
	A more expansive definition for a lay audience can be found in the glossary on the authority's mitochondria replacement consultation website at: mitochondria.hfea.gov.uk/mitochondria/ and by looking under "further information" and "glossary".

Employment: 16-18 Year-olds

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in England aged 16 to 17 were (1) in employment with employer-funded training, (2) in employment on other education and training, and (3) in employment without training, according to the most recent figures available; and how many in each category were working, rather than training, in employment for more than 20 hours a week.

Lord Nash: Data on the number of young people participating in education, training and employment are published in a Department for Education (DfE) Statistical First Release (SFR) entitled Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England.
	The table below shows the requested information for end 2011.
	
		
			 Category Number of 16-17 year-olds Proportion of 16-17 year- olds 
			 In employment with employer-funded training 31,800 2.4% 
			 In employment on other education and training 12,700 1.0% 
			 In employment without training 31,500 2.4% 
		
	
	The department does not collect information on the number of hours worked so cannot provide the number of these working for more than 20 hours a week.

Employment: Pensioners

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the estimated numbers of (1) women, and (2) men, of pensionable age currently in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment; and what estimate they have made of the net effect on public funds of abolishing the national insurance exemption for people of pensionable age.

Lord Deighton: I refer to the reply to Lord Warner of 11 August 201 1 (Official Report, col. 436). The Government have previously estimated that around £500 million would be raised if individuals over state pension age were required to pay national insurance contributions on employment and self-employment income. This figure included an estimated behavioural adjustment to reflect possible changes in labour supply for this age group.
	The requested information on employment among individuals of pensionable age is shown in the following table.
	Full and part-time employment of individuals above the state pension age1, by sex, in the United Kingdom, October-December 2012 (thousands).
	
		
			  Part-time employment Full-time employment 
			 Men 245 347 
			 Women 224 571 
		
	
	Source: Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey
	1. Men aged 65 and over. Women aged 61 and three or four months and over.

Energy: Prices

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will investigate possible manipulation of Brent crude oil prices by financial speculators.

Lord Deighton: The Government continues to monitor relevant research on the role of financial market activity on commodity markets and prices and will keep this under review. HM Treasury has not seen evidence of the manipulation of Brent crude prices by financial speculators.

Eritrea

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2023 (2011) calling for an end to the tax imposed by Eritrea on the Eritrean Diaspora.

Baroness Warsi: The UK supported UN Security Council Resolution 2023 which condemned Eritrea's use of the diaspora tax to destabilise the Horn of Africa region and decided that Eritrea should cease using illicit means to collect the tax. We are aware of allegations over the use of harassment to collect revenue from members of the Eritrean diaspora in the UK.
	On 20 December 2012, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised these concerns with the Eritrean ambassador and reminded him of UN SCR 2023.

Eritrea

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to comply with the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2023 (2011) on sanctions against Eritrea.

Baroness Warsi: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), HM Treasury (HMT) and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) have shared responsibility for enforcing the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2023.
	BIS will not grant an export licence to Eritrea unless it is consistent with the terms of the embargo. HMRC uses a risk based and intelligence-led approach to enforce the embargo and identify any illicit shipments destined for Eritrea. HMT has responsibility for the asset freeze and has drawn up Eritrea asset-freezing regulations. Although no individuals or entities are currently subject to an asset freeze, regulations would automatically apply in respect of any persons designated in future. UKBA has responsibility for enforcing travel bans and the Immigration (Designation of Travel Bans) Order 2000 is in place to implement this. No individuals or entities are currently designated under the travel ban and the restrictive measures will apply in respect of any persons designated in future after an amendment order is issued.

Eritrea

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action is being taken by the United Kingdom, including with Commonwealth and European Union partners, to ensure compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2023 (2011) on sanctions against Eritrea.

Baroness Warsi: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), HM Treasury (HMT) and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) have shared responsibility for enforcing the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2023.
	BIS will not grant an export licence to Eritrea unless it is consistent with the terms of the embargo. HMRC uses a risk based and intelligence-led approach to enforce the embargo and identify any illicit shipments destined for Eritrea. HMT has responsibility for the asset freeze and have drawn up Eritrea asset-freezing regulations. Although no individuals or entities are currently subject to an asset freeze, regulations would automatically apply in respect of any persons designated in future. UKBA has responsibility for enforcing travel bans and the Immigration (Designation of Travel Bans) Order 2000 is in place to implement this. No individuals or entities are currently designated under the travel ban and the restrictive measures will apply in respect of any persons designated in future after an amendment order is issued.
	UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2023 reiterates the provisions set out in UNSCR 1907. Compliance with UNSCR 1907 by all EU Member States is ensured through EU Council Regulations which implement UN sanctions transposed where necessary into national law. On 26 July 2010, the EU adopted Council Regulation No 667/2010, which implements in EU law the measures in UNSCR 1907 relating to the arms embargo and the freezing of funds and economic resources of persons designated by the Somalia and Eritrea Sanctions Committee.

Eritrea

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the purpose of the forthcoming visit to the United Kingdom of Yeman Gebreab, Head of Political Affairs and adviser to President Afewerki of Eritrea.

Baroness Warsi: We are aware of reports that the Eritrean presidential adviser will be visiting the UK in March. His visit is not sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office so we are unable to comment on the purpose of the visit.

EU: UK Membership

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have received on the possibility of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, but remaining a member of the European Economic Area as an independent signatory to the 1994 Agreement on the European Economic Area.

Baroness Warsi: The Government have neither sought nor received advice on this matter. The UK's national interest is best served as a member of a reformed EU that is competitive, flexible, and democratically accountable.

EU: UK Membership

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultations they have had about the potential tariff rates applicable to the United Kingdom for trade with the European Union were the United Kingdom to exit the European Union without an interim agreement.

Baroness Warsi: The Government have not entered into consultations on this matter. The UK's national interest is best served as a member of a reformed EU that is competitive, flexible, and democratically accountable.

EU: UK Membership

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultations they have had about whether the United Kingdom would continue to enjoy the free trade agreements negotiated as part of the European Union if it left that union; and what, if any, conclusions they have reached.

Baroness Warsi: The Government have not entered into consultations on this matter. The UK's national interest is best served as a member of a reformed EU that is competitive, flexible, and democratically accountable. This includes encouraging the EU to conclude free trade agreements with Canada and India, and to launch negotiations in the coming months with the US and Japan. This would tackle the remaining barriers to almost half the world's trade flow.

Euro

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that central clearing platforms can continue to clear euro-denominated transactions in the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: The Government have lodged legal challenges at the General Court of the European Union in relation to the European Central Bank's location policy, which requires that major euro clearing business should be based in the euro area. In addition, the Government successfully secured text in the EU regulation on over-the-counter derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories (EMIR), which states that, "no member state or group of member states should be discriminated against, directly or indirectly, as a venue for clearing services".

Finance: Investment

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what forecast they have made of the level of net public investment in 2015-16 as a percentage of gross domestic product; and what was the level in each of the previous 20 years.

Lord Deighton: The Independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out forecasts for public sector net investment as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in Table 4.32 of the December Economic and Fiscal Outlook1, set out below. Hard copies of this document are available in the library of the House and can be purchased from the Houses of Parliament Shop.
	Historical data is set out in the Public Sector Finances databank, available on the Treasury website2. Public sector net investment as a percentage of GDP from 1967-68 can be found on tab B2: Government Expenditure is set out in Annex A below.
	1 http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/December-2012-Economic-and-fiscal-outlook23423423.pdf
	2 http://www.hrn-treasurygov.uk/psf_statistics.httn

Financial Services Authority

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they or the Financial Services Authority are considering requiring standardised assumptions for the calculation of Value at Risk when used to compute bank capital requirements.

Lord Deighton: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is playing a leading role in an ongoing international project to investigate and assess the methods used to calculate banks' capital requirements. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's (BCBS) recent Report on Regulatory Consistency of Risk-weighted Assets for Market Risk1 sets out the thinking on market risk. A further paper on credit risk is expected later in the year. Requiring standardised assumptions is one of a range of approaches being considered by the regulatory sector to calculate value at risk for banks' capital requirements.
	The FSA is planning to continue fully participating in this project, including the forthcoming BCBS report on the banking book.
	1 http://www.bis.org/publ/bcbs240.pdf

Fire and Rescue Service

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will put forward proposals during this Parliament that would allow Fire and Rescue Authorities to tender out fire and rescue services to private sector bodies.

Baroness Hanham: I refer the noble Lord, to the Answer my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Brandon Lewis) gave to my honourable friend, the Member of Congleton (Fiona Bruce) on 5 March 2013 (Official Report, col. 931W).

Food: Waste

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the recommendations of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' report Global Food: Waste Not, Want Not; and whether they have had any dialogue with the institution since the publication of that report.

Lord De Mauley: We are grateful for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' contribution to the debate on food waste and agree that too much food is wasted. The 2011 Review of Waste Policy in England set out the Government's commitment to tackle food waste, focusing on waste prevention. The Institution invited me to a dinner in early February but unfortunately due to other diary commitments I was unable to attend.
	I refer the noble Lord to the oral question I answered in the House on 17 January this year (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 788).

Government Departments: Telephone Calls

Lord Christopher: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Newby on 5 February (Official Report, col. 130), what are the reasons for the variations in the number of telephone calls made to HM Revenue and Customs between 89,000 and 3.2 million per day; whether any research has been undertaken to establish the nature of, the reason for, and the staff grade level, of those calls; and, if so, what was the result.

Lord Deighton: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has designated peaks throughout the year and call volumes fluctuate in line with business deadlines. The department analyses the reasons for contact and deploys advisers to answer calls to match projected demand portfolios.
	HMRC has not undertaken a specific research study on this subject.

Government: Contracts

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they give to (1) government departments, and (2) other agencies, carrying out tasks on their behalf, in relation to the use of gagging clauses in contracts with charities, voluntary organisations and other bodies.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they give any regard, when allocating contracts and other funding to charities, voluntary bodies and other organisations, to their record, practices or policies in commenting on government policies and in lobbying government and legislators.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Government contracts are awarded on the basis of value for money in accordance with the fundamental principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination, transparency and proportionality.
	Whether or not a bidder is a lobbying or pressure group would not of itself be a consideration in awarding a contract, although where improper attempts to influence the award constitute grave professional misconduct this would lead to exclusion.
	It is for individual contracting authorities to determine what confidentiality clauses are appropriate according to the product or services to be delivered, taking into account the Government's commitment to transparency, and relevant legislation.

Government: Expenditure

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative merits of reducing government expenditure and increasing taxation.

Lord Deighton: Research from international bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund have found that consolidations achieved primarily through reductions in expenditure are more likely to be successful than those focused on increases in taxation. The Government's fiscal strategy is consistent with this research. Seventy-nine per cent of the total consolidation in 2015-16 will be delivered by lower spending.

Government: Ministerial Visits

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government which representatives of media organisations accompanied the Prime Minister on his recent visit to India.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The media organisations were as follows:
	ITN; Channel 4 News; Daily Express; Sky News; Daily Telegraph; ITN; BBC News; Daily Mirror; the Sun; Thomson Reuters; Financial Times; Press Association; Daily Mail; Bloomberg; the Guardian; the Times; the Independent.
	A list of the business delegation for this visit will be placed in the Library of the House.

Government: Ministerial Visits

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the names of all those representing United Kingdom businesses who accompanied the Prime Minister on his recent visit to India.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Company Representative 
			 Aecom Jason Prior 
			 Alice Powell Racing Alice Powell 
			 Arup Terry Hill 
			 Association of Colleges John Mountford 
			 Association of Corporate Treasurers Colin Tyler 
			 Atkins Professor Dr Uwe Krueger 
			 BAE Systems Dick Olver 
			 Balfour Beatty Ian Tyler 
			 Benoy Graham Cartledge CBE 
			 Bluewater Bio Xan Morgan 
			 Bournville College Norman Cave 
			 BP Bob Dudley 
			 BP Dr. Angela Strank 
			 Brit Health Care Dr. Rajnish Mohindroo 
			 British Council Martin Davidson CMG 
			 British Museum Neil MacGregor 
			 BT India Pvt. Sudhir Narang 
			 Cobham David Johnston 
			 Cobra Beer Partnership Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE, DL 
			 Confederation of British Industry (CBI) John Cridland CBE 
			 Conversor Jeremy Brassington 
			 CTC Aviation Group Captain Robert Clarke 
			 De La Rue Tim Cobbold 
			 Debenhams John Scott 
			 Debenhams Francis McAuley 
			 Deloitte Vassi Naidoo 
			 Diageo Paul Walsh 
			 Diageo Ian Wright 
			 DLA Piper Tony Angel 
			 DMC Healthcare Anil Gupta 
			 DMC Healthcare Ravi Gupta 
			 EADS UK Robin Southwell 
			 East End Foods Paul Deep Wouhra 
			 East End Foods Tony Deep Wouhra 
			 Financial Services Authority John Griffith-Jones 
			 Flitabout Nigel Lang 
			 Griffon Hoverworks Michael Coveney 
			 Hildebrand Technology Joshua Cooper 
			 Hip Impact Protection The Hon. William Beckett 
			 HSBC Robin Phillips 
			 Infosys B G Srivinas 
			 Innovative Physics Natalie Harper 
			 InterContinental Hotels Group Jan Smits 
			 Investis Helen James 
			 Invotec Group Tim Tatton 
			 J&H Sales Ranjit S Baxi 
			 JCB Philip Bouverat 
			 John McAslan & Partners Hiro Aso 
			 Joseph Rhodes Mark Ridgway OBE DL 
			 KPMG Simon Collins 
			 Lloyd's John Nelson 
			 London Chamber of Commerce & Industry Subhash Thakrar 
			 London School of Economics & Political Science Professor Craig Calhoun 
			 London Stock Exchange Alexander Justham 
			 London Underground David Waboso 
			 Marshall of Cambridge (Holdings) Robert Marshall 
			 MBDA Steve Wadey 
			 Mitras Automotive (UK) David Montague 
			 Monsoon Peter Simon 
			 Mott MacDonald Keith Howells 
			 Muntons Tim Stonehouse 
			 New College Nottingham Amarjit Basi 
			 OCS Group Peter Armitage 
			 Oxford Business Group Andrew Jeffreys 
			 Pathfinder Health India Dr Niti Pall 
			 Pi Capital David Giampaolo 
			 Polaris Financial Technology Bikash Mathur 
			 Premier League Richard Scudamore 
			 Project Orange Architects & Interiors James Soane 
			 Red Gate Software Dr Simon Galbraith 
			 Red Gate Software Nick Wood 
			 Rolls-Royce John Rishton 
			 Roy Newey Roy Newey 
			 Serco Chris Hyman 
			 Serco Seraj Taiyeb 
			 Solent India Business Network & Dutton Gregory Solicitors LLP Amarjit Singh 
			 Standard Chartered Peter Sands 
			 Standard Life David Nish 
			 Steps Drama Robbie Swales 
			 Strongfield Technologies Surinder (Max) Mongia 
			 Sybarite Architects Torquil McIntosh 
			 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) UK Phiroz Vandrevala 
			 Technology Strategy Board Phil Smith 
			 Thales UK Victor Chavez 
			 Thames Bridge Capital Michael Queen 
			 The Blackstone Group Jitesh Gadhia 
			 The British Library Roly Keating 
			 The City UK Gerry Grimstone 
			 The Clinical Trial Company Ltd Ewan Campbell 
			 The Open University Professor Martin Bean 
			 TPP Frank Hester 
			 Trans Data Management Geoff Vaughan 
			 Triumph Motorcycles Stephen Sargent 
			 UK Export Finance David Havelock 
			 UK Higher Education International Unit Dr Joanna Newman 
			 UKIBC Patricia Hewitt 
			 Ultra Electronics Holdings Rakesh Sharma 
			 Ultra Global PRT Fraser Brown 
			 Ultra Global PRT Nigel Clarke 
			 University of Cambridge Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz 
			 University of Cardiff Professor Colin Riordan 
			 University of Exeter Professor Sir Steve Smith 
			 University of Southampton Professor Don Nutbeam 
			 Univesity of Warwick Professor Nigel Thrift 
			 Veetee Foods Manmohan (Moni) Chander Varma 
			 Virgin Atlantic Maria Sebastian 
			 Wadaro David Dews 
			 Wellcome Trust Sir Mark Walport 
			 West Nottinghamshire College Asha Khemka OBE

Health: Genetic Screening

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the National Screening Committee will include screening for Tay-Sachs disease, Canavan disease and familial dysautonomia in their recommendations.

Earl Howe: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	The UK NSC is currently considering the available evidence for screening the UK Ashkenazi Jewish population for the risk of Tay-Sachs disease, Canavan disease and familial dysautonomia against its criteria. Ministers expect to receive a recommendation from the UK NSC later this year.

Health: Immunodeficiency Screening

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce new techniques and innovations for severe combined immunodeficiency screening.

Earl Howe: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	The UK NSC is currently considering the available evidence for newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency against its criteria. A public consultation on the screening review has just closed and ministers expect to receive a recommendation from the UK NSC shortly.

Health: Pain Management

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will launch a publicity campaign to inform the public of the consequences of excessive use of painkillers for trivial ailments.

Earl Howe: Adequate pain relief is an important part of the treatment and support needed for many people with pain, especially chronic pain. Information about the benefits and risks of commonly used painkillers-and of alternative, non-pharmaceutical approaches to managing pain-is freely available from sources aimed at the general public, including NHS Choices, Patient.co.uk, and the patient information leaflets on individual medicines issued with all prescription medicines. General practitioners and pharmacists will be aware of the particular risks associated with prolonged use of painkillers for headaches and can advise patients as necessary.

Health: Private Healthcare

Lord Rana: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have made of deeming private health insurance contributions a tax-deductible expense, to encourage those with the means to do so to utilise private healthcare and so ease pressure on the National Health Service.

Lord Deighton: The Government have no plans to introduce a tax relief for the cost of Private Medical Insurance.

Higher Education: Grants

Lord Smith of Clifton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost to HM Treasury of full maintenance grants to full-time higher education students in England with gross household income of (1) above, and (2) below, £16,190 per annum.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: The cost of maintenance grants in 2011-12 was published in November 2012 by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in its Statistical First Release. The cost of full maintenance grants was £1,111 million in that academic year at: http://www.slc.co.uk/media/525907/slcsfr052012.pdf.
	Using an extract of individual level SLC data we estimate that 25% of those receiving a full grant have gross household income above £16,190 and 75% have gross household income below £16,190.
	These numbers should be treated as an estimate as the extract is produced before the end of the academic year and is not entirely consistent with the finalised data presented in the Statistical First Release. We estimate the costs for the two groups below by applying these percentages to the overall cost of the full maintenance grant (rounded to the nearest £100 million):
	(1) £300 million for those with gross household income above £16,190.(2) £800 million for those with gross household income below £16,190.

Higher Education: Transport

Lord Knight of Weymouth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what statutory duties are placed on local authorities in relation to transport for students aged 16 to 24 with a learning difficulty or disability who are in education or training; and whether there are plans to amend those duties.

Lord Nash: Legislation requires local authorities to publish a post-16 transport policy statement each year. The statement should set out the arrangements that the authority considers necessary to enable young people to attend post-16 education. The statement should include the specific arrangements for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities aged up to 25.
	There are no plans to amend those duties. However, under provisions in the Children and Families Bill, local authorities would have to include information about arrangements for transport to and from post-16 education and training as part of their local offer to children and young people with special educational needs.

Horses

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, when a horse is slaughtered in the United Kingdom, the relevant passport must be returned to a central authority.

Lord De Mauley: Passports for horses slaughtered in an abattoir are invalidated on site under the supervision of the Food Standards Agency and returned to the Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO). Passports for horses which die in other circumstances must be returned to the PIO within 30 days of the animal's death, and failure to do so is an offence. PIOs are required to invalidate such passports, which are then permitted to be returned to owners.

House of Lords: Chamber

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask the Chairman of Committees whether he will consider removing the Judges' Woolsacks in order to reorganise the seating in the Chamber to accommodate the rising number of Members.
	To ask the Chairman of Committees what measures he will implement to accommodate further new Members within the Chamber.

Lord Sewel: I will consider the proposal regarding the Judges' Woolsacks and intend to put the suggestion before the Administration and Works Committee for further consideration.
	With regard to additional measures, I have had no other suggestions from Members for ways in which to accommodate more Members in the Chamber, but if Members write to me with any other proposals then I would be willing to consider them. I also refer the noble Lord to the Written Statement by my predecessor, Lord Brabazon of Tara, on 27 October 2010 (WS 103), which referred to the decision of the Administration and Works Committee in 2010 to make some seats available for Members below Bar. These seats are now frequently used by Members who do not wish to speak in debate.

House of Lords: Chamber

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask the Chairman of Committees what plans there are to improve the acoustics of the area below the Bar of the Chamber occupied by members of the House.

Lord Sewel: There are no immediate plans to carry out any work affecting the acoustics below Bar. The Parliamentary Estates Directorate is currently conducting a feasibility study to assess whether to update the sound system in the Chamber. If the sound system is replaced then more modern microphones and loudspeakers may help to improve the sound for Members below Bar. However, this work is purely at a scoping stage at the moment, and it is not likely that any work will be undertaken in the near future.

House of Lords: Leave of Absence

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 14 February (WA 176), whether the two Lords referred to as a consequence of taking leave of absence as described are now exempt from Section 41 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Written Answer of 14 February 2012 (Official Report, col. WA 176) refers to the voluntary retirement scheme. Members of the House of Lords who take voluntary retirement or leave of absence are not exempt from Section 41 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

House of Lords: Members

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider appointing a very limited number of new Peers reflecting individual talents and backgrounds rather than party political nominees.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The House of Lords Appointments Commission receives nominations for non-party-political life Peers and recommends individuals for membership, based on merit and their ability to make a significant contribution to the work of the House.
	The commission has been asked by the Prime Minister to consider nominees who would broaden the expertise and experience of the House and reflect the diversity of the people of the United Kingdom. The commission must ensure that the individuals it recommends are independent, have integrity and are committed to the highest standards of public life.

Houses of Parliament: Members

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the latest average comparative costs, including pension entitlement, office and education allowances, and reduced tax rates, of (1) Members of the House of Lords, (2) Members of the House of Commons, and (3) Members of the European Parliament.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government do not collect information on comparative costs for Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords or Members of the European Parliament.
	The website of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (www.parliamentarystandards.org.uk) holds the information in respect of costs for MPs, while the European Parliament website (http://www.europarl.europa.eu) holds the same for MEPs.
	The latest information in relation to the costs of members of the Lords are published in the House of Lords Resource Accounts, 2011-12, http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldresource/35/35.pdf.

Immigration: Romanians

Lord Davies of Stamford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Romanian citizens they estimate are currently (1) in the United Kingdom, (2) in England and Wales, and (3) in the Metropolitan Police Area.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, Director General for ONS, to Lord Davies, dated March 2012.
	As director-general for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to ask Her Majesty's Government how many Romanian citizens they estimate are currently (1) in the United Kingdom, (2) in England and Wales, and (3) in the Metropolitan Police Area [HL5965].
	The Office for National Statistics collects data on residents of the UK from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. It is a household survey and so does not include people living in most types of communal establishment.
	Table 1 below shows APS estimates of Romanian citizens residing in the UK, England and Wales, and the Metropolitan Police Area. The latest estimates available are for the 12 month period of January to December 2011.
	
		
			 Table 1: Romanian Nationals by Selected UK Area, 2011 
			   Thousands 
			  Estimate C1 
			 United Kingdom 93 13 
			 England & Wales 89 13 
			 Metropolitan Police Area 48 11 
		
	
	CI = 95 % Confidence Interval, which is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample.

Inflation

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the impact of sterling devaluation on the rate of inflation.

Lord Deighton: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts and will publish a new forecast alongside the Budget on 20 March 2013. The forecast for inflation will reflect the OBR's assessment of the impact of any sterling depreciation.

Iran

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have about executions in Iran; whether they consider United Nations reports on the matter relevant and up to date; and what steps they have taken through the United Nations to highlight and ameliorate the situation.

Baroness Warsi: The UK and EU partners constantly monitor executions in Iran. In 2012, we received reports of over 350 executions, although the true figure is undoubtedly higher. We frequently condemn Iran's use of the death penalty, most recently on 18 January on our "UK for Iranians" website, regarding death sentences for five members of the Ahwazi Arab minority. Both the UN Secretary-General and the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran have reported to the UN General Assembly on executions in Iran. The Special Rapporteur will report again to the Human Rights Council in March. The UK supports these reports, and we have co-sponsored the UN General Assembly's resolution on Iran, which highlighted Iran's excessive use of the death penalty.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the establishment of an independent inquiry into the death in custody of Arafat Jaradat.

Baroness Warsi: We have called on the Israeli authorities to conduct a full investigation into the circumstances of the death on 23 February of Mr Arafat Jaradat while in Israeli detention, including the allegations of mistreatment.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the detention of Mahmoud Mefleh in Ofer prison since December.

Baroness Warsi: We have not raised this specific case but continue to press the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law, including in their policies on the detention and treatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will next raise with the Government of Israel the matter of Palestinian detainees being held in Israeli prisons, sometimes without due process, for many years.

Baroness Warsi: We have long-standing concerns about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners. We repeatedly raise these concerns with the Israeli authorities, calling on them to comply with their obligations under international law.

Kenya

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of claims by Kenyan Chief Justice Willy Mutunga that he has received threats related to the candidacy of Uhuru Kenyatta in that country's forthcoming presidential elections, whether they will make representations to the Government of Kenya to encourage it to take urgent and effective measures to protect the chief justice and other members of the judiciary of Kenya against interference with judicial independence and impartiality by threats, harassment, coercion or otherwise.

Baroness Warsi: We are urging the Government of Kenya at all levels to do all it can to respect the independence of the Kenyan judiciary, which is crucial to peaceful and credible elections on 4 March, including by putting in place adequate security measures for the chief justice.

Kenya

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 25 February (WA 244), what is their assessment of the position and security of Christians in the other Kenyan regions.

Baroness Warsi: Over the past year there has been a rise in attacks against churches as well as other places of worship across Kenya, including in Nairobi, Mombasa, Mandera and Wajir. We assess that these attacks are linked to Kenya's military intervention in Somalia and are the actions of a minority seeking to undermine interfaith relations.

Local Authorities: Assets

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many assets of community value have been nominated for registration in each appropriate local authority; and in each case how many of those nominations were unsuccessful.

Baroness Hanham: The department does not formally collate information nationally on the number of nominations or on the number of assets successfully or unsuccessfully listed. Local authorities are responsible for keeping and managing a list which contains information on their assets of community value. However, I am aware that since this scheme came into force in England on 21 September 2012 at least 252 assets of community value have been accepted for listing by local authorities.

Middle East

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government which principal Middle East issues they raised in their meeting with the new United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, on 25 February.

Baroness Warsi: US Secretary of State, John Kerry met with both the Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), during his visit to the UK on 25 February. The agenda covered a wide range of global issues, including the Middle East peace process, Syria, Iran and North Africa.

NHS: Commissioning

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will require that the board papers of all public organisations or committees that are associated with the commissioning of NHS and social care are made publicly available through a central portal.

Earl Howe: There are no plans for board papers of all public organisations or committees that are associated with the commissioning of National Health Service and social care to be made publicly available through a central portal.

NHS: Private Management

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any proposals to allow qualified private firms to manage NHS trusts.

Earl Howe: There are no new proposals to allow qualified private firms to manage National Health Service trusts.

Nigeria

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Nigeria regarding the evictions that have taken place in the Oke llu-Eri area of Badia East in Lagos state.

Baroness Warsi: We are aware of the demolitions taking place in the Oke Ilu-Eri area of Badia East in Lagos state. While we support development to improve the living standards of a local population, we consider it important that such development only takes place after consultation with the local population and that it also respects their human rights. We, and our EU colleagues, have previously raised our concerns linked to demolition projects in southern Nigeria. Our high commission in Abuja will investigate the situation in Badia East.

Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the draft Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill (Cm 8563) permits dual membership of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the House of Lords but not of the Assembly and the House of Commons.

Baroness Randerson: The Government are committed to ending double jobbing between the Northern Ireland Assembly and the House of Commons. It was the unusually ingrained nature of that practice which led the Committee on Standards in Public Life, in its 2009 report, to recommend that the practice should be ended, "by the time of the scheduled elections to the three devolved legislatures in May 2011, or failing that by 2015 at the very latest". The committee did not make a similar recommendation in respect of the Lords.

Northern Ireland Office: Corporate Entertainment

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Northern Ireland Office has paid for corporate entertainment in each year since 2008.

Baroness Randerson: Since April 2008, the Northern Ireland Office has not paid for any corporate entertainment.

Parking and Traffic Appeals Service

Baroness Walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Attlee on 12 February (WA 148), who assesses the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service process and costs given that the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service adjudicators are independent of Government and are not regulated by the Mayor of London or Transport for London.

Earl Attlee: The Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council (AJTC) keeps under review the administrative justice system as a whole with a view to making it accessible, fair and efficient. The website of the AJTC is at http://ajtc.justice.gov.uk.

Passports

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom passport holders also hold passports from other nations.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Records are not held centrally on the number of British passport holders who have dual nationality and hold a passport issued by another country. The Identity and Passport Service requires an applicant for a British passport to submit any existing or cancelled passports, including passports issued by another country, when applying for a new passport. This requirement is made for identity confirmation purposes.

Railways: Burscough Curves

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to reinstate the Burscough Curves railway line.

Earl Attlee: The Government have no plans to reinstate the Burscough Curves. In accordance with our localism agenda, it would be for Lancashire County Council to determine whether this scheme is a priority and to fund the capital cost and subsidy required by the new services that would use the curves. We understand that this scheme is not a high priority for the council at the present time.

Railways: West Coast Main Line

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to put the west coast main line franchise out to tender.

Earl Attlee: A further announcement about the franchising programme will be made in the spring, setting out the timetable for future franchise competitions.

Saudi Arabia

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have, and what representations they have made to the Government of Saudi Arabia, about (1) the arrest by that country's religious police of a group of Ethiopian Christians in Dammam, and (2) the reported incarceration and torture in 2012 of Ethiopian Christians for exercising their right to practise their faith.

Baroness Warsi: We are aware of reports that 53 Ethiopians, mostly women, were arrested on 8 February in Dammam while attending a private Christian worship service. Our understanding is that the three leaders of the group appeared in court later that day allegedly charged with converting Muslims to Christianity. It is likely that those without residence permits will be deported.
	We are also aware of the detention in 2012 of a group of Christian Ethiopians and have raised our concerns with the Saudi Arabian embassy. Of the 35 arrested, 28 were deported back to Ethiopia by June 2012. However, we are unaware of the situation of the remaining seven, who held residence permits. We are unable to verify the allegations of ill treatment of those held in detention in this particular case. However, allegations of torture of detainees are often heard. We judge the allegations, by virtue of their frequency and the variety of sources, to be credible and it would appear that the Saudi authorities attach some credence to the allegations, because the Public Prosecution Office, part of the Ministry of Interior, has been ordered to monitor and inspect prisons.
	In May 2012, Dr Mufleh Al-Qahtani, President of the National Society of Human Rights, a Saudi human rights organisation that reports directly to King Abdullah, told the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), who is responsible for our relations with Saudi Arabia, that foreign workers were free to practise their religion in their own homes or compounds. It is, therefore, a concern that this incident in Dammam has arisen. The Government will ask the Saudi Government to ensure that those individuals wishing to practise a faith of their choosing in private can do so without fear of arrest and deportation. In addition, the UK will continue to press for greater, more open religious freedom in Saudi Arabia.

Schools: Academies

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the total value of legal costs incurred by schools, local authorities and the Department for Education in the academy conversion process to date.

Lord Nash: The department does not hold details of legal costs incurred by schools or local authorities resulting from the academy conversion process. Schools converting to academy status receive a flat rate grant of £25,000 as a contribution towards the overall costs of conversion which can be used to pay legal costs. The Department for Education has paid for external legal advice in connection with the academy conversion process in addition to internal legal costs relating to work carried out by the department's legal adviser's office. Information on total expenditure on these services is not held centrally.

Schools: Academies

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Nash on 14 February (Official Report, col. 772-3), what grants are being offered to schools to encourage them to convert into academies; how many schools they forecast will do so; and what would be the cost to public funds of such grants if all of the schools forecast to convert did so.

Lord Nash: The department recognises that schools incur costs when setting up an academy. A grant of £25,000 is available to schools as a contribution towards the costs of conversion. Additional grants of up to £12,000 may also be agreed for schools to cover additional costs incurred by PFI schools that become academies.
	A grant of £25,000 is also available to assist primary schools that decide to become an academy as part of a chain of three or more schools.
	The number of academies opening is led by the demand from schools wishing to become academies. As reported in the department's 2012-13 main estimate, published in spring this year, the estimated departmental expenditure limit for academies and free schools for financial year 2012-13 is £109.2 million.
	Details of open academies and academy projects in development can be found on our website at: http://www. education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/open/b00208569/open-academies.

Schools: Teachers

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 25 February (WA 209), whether they will ensure a strengthened provision of teachers in schools and further education to meet the needs of 16 to 18 year-olds deemed to be not secure in maths and English.

Lord Nash: A ministerial working group on implementation of reforms to post-16 education and funding is currently considering whether any further action is needed in addition to existing initiatives supporting the provision of English and maths teachers in the school and further education sectors.

Sri Lanka

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of reports of abuses of human rights in Sri Lanka, they are considering boycotting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting due to take place in Sri Lanka from 15-17 November 2013.

Baroness Warsi: No decision on UK attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November has yet been made. We continue to look to Sri Lanka to demonstrate its commitment to upholding the Commonwealth values of good governance and respect for human rights.
	The UK regularly raises concerns about the human rights situation with the Sri Lankan Government and in international fora including the current Human Rights Council session. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), raised our concerns with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister during his visit to the country on 31 January-2 February.

Syria

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals of Syrian nationality have been granted asylum or subsidiary international protection by the United Kingdom since March 2011.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: There have been 716 grants of asylum, 25 grants of humanitarian protection, 16 grants of discretionary leave and 0 grants of indefinite leave to remain under private and family life rules to main applicants of Syrian nationality between 1 March 2011 and 31 December 2012 at initial decision.
	Subsidiary international protection under European legislation combines those granted humanitarian protection and grants of indefinite leave to remain under family and private life rules.
	Figures on asylum decisions are published in Tables as.01 (annual) and as.01.q (quarterly) of the release Immigration Statistics, October to December 2012, which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office science website at: http://www.home office.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q4-2012/.
	In order to provide figures for the time period requested a subset of the published quarterly National Statistics has been included for the month of March 2011.

Taxation

Lord Christopher: To ask Her Majesty's Government what legislative provisions enable tax-deductible payments to be made by wholly owned subsidiary companies to the company that owns them.

Lord Deighton: A company pays corporation tax on its taxable profits. In calculating those profits, certain expenses can be deducted from income. Broadly, expenses will be deducted if they are included in the computation of the company's commercial profits, determined in accordance with accepted accounting principles, subject to any specific tax provisions that may restrict or amend the amount allowable. For example, capital expenditure is disallowed, as are expenses that are not incurred wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the trade.
	Certain other statutory provisions may also be relevant where payments are made between connected parties including payments made from a wholly owned subsidiary to the company that owns them or companies within the same group. This, in particular, can apply in the transfer pricing rules which are applied to replace, for tax purposes, the actual payment amount with the amount that would have been incurred had the payment been made at arm's length.

Taxation

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact on public spending on (1) health, and (2) criminal justice, of increasing taxation on unhealthy foods, alcohol, tobacco and gambling.

Lord Deighton: A wide variety of factors are considered when the Government decide alcohol, tobacco and gambling excise duty rates. These include the public finances, the impact on consumption on consumers and business, on any illicit trade and any broader social impacts of taxation. There are no excise duties on foods. VAT applies to food, at either the standard rate of 20%, or the zero rate.
	Higher duty rates are usually passed through into higher retail prices and are, therefore, estimated to reduce consumption. On balance, the evidence shows that increases in alcohol and tobacco prices are linked to decreases in harms related to consumption of these products. However, these relationships are not always straightforward and there is no automatic mechanism translating duty rates increases to savings in public expenditure.
	All taxes are kept under review and decisions are made by the Chancellor as part of the annual Budget process. The Chancellor has committed that the zero rates applied to everyday essentials like food and children's clothing will remain for the duration of this Parliament.

Taxation: Avoidance

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 14 February (WA 179), what action they have taken to follow up tax returns disclosing the existence of tax avoidance schemes in each of the tax years (1) 2009-10, (2) 2010-11, and (3) 2011-12; and with what result.

Lord Deighton: For the three years in question, the disclosure regime provided early warning of tax avoidance which enabled HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to develop strategies for handling the risks posed long before the tax returns were received. These strategies have resulted in changes to tax legislation and the challenge of the scheme users' returns through project-managed enquiries.
	HMRC is progressing these enquiries which may lead to litigation in appropriate cases. Where HMRC has litigated, it has had a high level of success, winning the significant majority of cases since April 2010.
	The specific information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Taxation: Avoidance

Lord Christopher: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they consider to be difference between tax avoidance and aggressive tax avoidance.

Lord Deighton: Tax avoidance is bending the rules of the tax system to gain a tax advantage that Parliament did not intend. The Government are committed to tackling all forms of tax avoidance robustly and does not generally consider it necessary to make additional distinctions but, where appropriate, it has put measures in place to tackle specific forms of avoidance and will continue to do so.
	The general anti-abuse rule (GAAR), to be introduced this year, will target abusive tax avoidance schemes, the criteria for which will be defined by the GAAR legislation.

Taxation: Avoidance

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to introduce specifically targeted anti-abuse legislation in a general anti-abuse rule as recommended by Graham Aronson in his report on the United Kingdom tax system, published on 21 November 2011.

Lord Deighton: The Government plan to introduce a general anti-abuse rule in the 2013 Finance Bill, targeted at abusive tax avoidance schemes and in line with the recommendations of the 2011 Aaronson report.

Taxation: Capital Gains Tax

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their best analysis of the consequence of raising the level of capital gains tax from 18% to 28% on the level of tax receipts.

Lord Deighton: Introducing the higher 28% rate of Capital Gains Tax (CGT), together with raising the entrepreneurs' relief lifetime limit from £2 million to £5 million, was forecast to raise £925 million by 2014-15 at the time of the June 2010 Budget. This costing included an assessment of the behavioural effects on CGT receipts, as well as the positive effect on income tax receipts. The policy costings document published alongside the 2010 Emergency Budget Report sets out the methodology for arriving at such estimates and the likely effects on revenue. This document is available on the HM Treasury website1.
	It is not possible to separate the impact of the measure from other factors affecting CGT receipts in the outturn. The yield from the measure after taking account of these behavioural responses and the timing of income tax receipts is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Post-behavioural Exchequer impact (£m) 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Exchequer impact 0 +725 +825 +850 +925 
		
	
	No further estimates of the effect of raising the capital gains tax rate for those gains which qualify for the higher rate have been made.
	1 http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf

Taxation: Income Tax

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the level of the top rate of income tax that would deliver the maximum return to the Exchequer.

Lord Deighton: Page 51 of The Exchequer Effect of the 50% Additional Rate of Income Tax1 report published by HM Revenue and Customs alongside Budget 2012, sets out the assessment of the level of the top rate of income tax that would deliver the maximum return to the Exchequer.
	The report states that the estimated revenue-maximising rate of tax for those with incomes over £150,000 is between 45% and 50%, and that the Exchequer impact of varying the rate close to this level is relatively low.
	1 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/excheq-income-tax-2042.pdf

Transport: Heavy Goods Vehicles

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 13 February (WA 171-2), what impact the increase of capacity of heavy goods vehicles to 44 tonnes has had on the number of lorries using roads in the United Kingdom.

Earl Attlee: Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) with a maximum gross weight of 44 tonnes on 6 axles were first permitted in Great Britain in 1994, but only when carrying containers for transfer to rail services or for delivery after being conveyed by rail. Such vehicles were allowed to be used for all purposes from 1 February 2001, before that the maximum limit was 38 tonnes on 5 axles, increased to 40 tonnes on 5 axles in 1999.
	Data on the number of heavy goods vehicles licensed in Great Britain, by maximum gross weight, from 1994 to 2011, is published on the Government website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/10567/veh0506.xls.
	These data are also shown in the table below. This shows that in 2000, before the general limit was increased to 44 tonnes, a total of 471,500 HGVs were licensed in Great Britain. In 2011 the total number of HGVs licensed was 465,500. Over this period, the number of vehicles over 41 tones has increased from 5,400 to 84,500, while the number of vehicles between 31 tonnes and 41 tonnes has fallen from 105,700 to 48,100.
	
		
			 Licensed heavy goods vehicles by weight (tonnes), Great Britain, annually: 1994 to 2011 
			Thousands  
			  3.5 to 7 t over 7 to 8 t over 8 to 18 t over 18 to 31 t over 31 to 41 t over 41 t Total Avg Weight (t) 
			 Thousands 
			 1994 37.0 133.5 115.0 56.9 77.9 0.7 420.9 17.5 
			 1995 38.7 134.0 110.7 55.4 82.8 1.2 422.9 17.7 
			 1996 41.3 137.2 108.9 54.0 86.9 1.6 429.9 17.7 
			 1997 41.4 139.9 106.9 54.0 91.5 2.3 436.0 17.9 
			 1998 41.6 143.9 103.9 54.4 93.7 3.3 440.8 18.0 
			 1999 42.3 150.1 105.9 58.0 101.2 1.6 459.2 18.3 
			 2000 40.7 154.5 104.9 60.2 105.7 5.4 471.5 18.7 
			 2001 39.8 155.5 104.0 61.1 92.0 25.1 477.5 19.2 
			 2002 40.0 157.4 103.6 61.4 82.9 40.2 485.4 19.5 
			 2003 41.6 158.5 102.5 61.7 75.2 51.7 491.1 19.7 
			 2004 44.2 162.7 103.2 63.0 69.7 63.0 505.8 19.9 
			 2005 46.0 161.8 102.8 62.7 64.9 69.9 508.2 20.0 
			 2006 47.2 159.7 101.6 63.3 61.3 75.3 508.3 20.1 
			 2007 49.0 157.0 101.4 63.3 59.9 80.2 510.8 20.3 
			 2008 50.2 149.3 97.7 62.1 56.1 80.6 495.9 20.3 
			 2009 51.0 141.1 94.3 60.3 51.8 79.3 477.8 20.3 
			 2010 51.2 134.9 93.1 59.2 49.9 81.8 470.1 20.5 
			 2011 51.9 129.9 92.2 58.9 48.1 84.5 465.5 20.7

Transport: Heavy Goods Vehicles

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that extending the trial of increased capacity large goods vehicles to a wider range of companies and to the wider United Kingdom road network would have on the number of accidents involving those vehicles.

Earl Attlee: The current Department for Transport (DfT) trial of longer semi-trailers has always been open to the whole road network in Great Britain, subject to the same height, weight and width restrictions on specific roads, bridges and tunnels that already apply to all road vehicles. Permission to operate up to 1800 longer semi-trailers has been issued to around 170 companies. So far, vehicle special orders for around 430 trailers have been issued to around 60 companies, so we have not yet reached the initial allocation.
	A thorough impact assessment was carried out before the trial started and was published on the DfT website in 2011 (http://webarchive.nationalarchives. gov.uk/ 20120607224107/http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ia-longer-semi-trailers). This provides extensive information on potential impacts of longer semi-trailers and therefore, the Government have not made any further assessment, pending the findings of the trial.

Uganda

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Uganda regarding the treatment of citizens of that country on the basis of sexual orientation.

Baroness Warsi: We are committed to ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people around the world are free to live their lives in a safe and just environment. We are concerned about the proposed anti-homosexuality Bill being considered by the Ugandan parliament. We raise our concerns regularly at all levels with the Ugandan Government. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), raised this issue with President Museveni during his visit to Uganda last November, and with Henry Okello, Minister for International Affairs, in December last year.

UK BioIndustry Association

Lord Walton of Detchant: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide opportunities for retail investors to invest in funds created in order to support innovative companies, such as citizens' innovation funds now being promoted by the BioIndustry Association.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government are committed to creating an environment in which innovation can thrive and help drive economic growth. Ministers have met with the BioIndustry Association to discuss their Citizens Innovation Fund proposal and meetings have also taken place at official level to consider the best way forward.

United Arab Emirates

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of the United Arab Emirates about the alleged torture of three British tourists by police in Dubai.

Baroness Warsi: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) takes all allegations of mistreatment and torture extremely seriously and will always ask for a full, impartial and independent investigation to be carried out into the incidents concerned.
	The FCO has been providing consular assistance to the three British nationals detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since their initial detention in July 2012 and we are aware of the mistreatment allegations raised. Although I cannot go into details of their cases due to the requirements of the Data Protection Act, I can confirm that we have raised and will continue to raise their allegations at the most senior levels in the UAE.

Universal Credit

Lord Knight of Weymouth: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the 16-hour rule for (1) work, and (2) study, will remain in force following introduction of universal credit.

Lord Freud: No. There will be no requirement for the 16-hour rule for either work or study when universal credit is introduced.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government which police forces have trialled, owned or utilised unmanned aerial vehicle technology since 2008.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: There is no requirement for police forces to report the trialling, acquisition or use of remotely piloted aircraft systems to the Home Office. The Government are aware that the following forces have acquired or made use of such systems.
	Merseyside;
	Staffordshire;
	Essex;
	Wiltshire; and
	West Midlands.
	It is the responsibility of the forces concerned to ensure that they comply with Civil Aviation Authority regulations.

Winter Fuel Payments

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated number of higher-rate taxpayers receiving winter fuel payments; and what is their estimate of the net effect on public funds of making winter fuel payments taxable.

Lord Deighton: The Government estimate that around 550,000 people in the 40% income tax bracket were eligible for winter fuel payments in 2012-13. This number rises to 600,000 in 2013-14.
	In 2012-13 the estimated saving to the Exchequer if winter fuel payments were subject to income tax at all rates is £235 million. The savings assume a 2012-13 payment rate of £200 for those who have reached the women's state pension age and are under 80 years old and £300 for people aged 80 or over. The figures are expressed in cash terms and rounded to the nearest £5 million.
	Estimates are based on Department for Work and Pensions expenditure forecasts, combined with information on the tax paid by older people from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs' Survey of Personal Incomes.

Yemen

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect that the National Dialogue on constitutional reform in Yemen will begin; whether the European Union will be involved in facilitating it; and whether they will encourage whoever facilitates it to draw on the experience of the non-governmental organisation Forward Thinking in the internal dialogues taking place in Tunisia and Egypt.

Baroness Warsi: We welcome President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi's announcement that the National Dialogue Conference will start on 18 March. This landmark conference, scheduled to last six months, is set to prepare the ground for a new draft Yemeni constitution which will then be put to the Yemeni electorate in a referendum. The National Dialogue is a Yemeni-led process supported by the UN Department for Political Affairs (UNDPA) with technical assistance and bringing in a wide range of international expertise. It will be supported through a UN led multi-donor trust fund. We encourage the EU and non-governmental organisations with expertise to offer to engage with the UNDPA.